The integrity of the spine, including its subcomponents like the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs that are well known structural body parts forming the spine, is key to a patient's health. These parts may become crushed or damaged as a result of trauma or injury, or damaged by disease (e.g., by tumor, autoimmune disease) or as a result of wear over time or degeneration caused by the normal aging process.
In many instances, one or more structural body parts can be repaired or replaced with a prosthesis or implant. For example, specific to the spine, one method of repair is to remove the vertebra (in whole or in part) and/or the disc (in whole or in part) and replace it with an implant or prosthesis. In some cases, it is necessary to stabilize a weakened or damaged spinal region by reducing or inhibiting mobility in the area to avoid further progression of the damage and/or to reduce or alleviate pain caused by the damage or injury. In other cases, it is desirable to join together the damaged vertebrae and/or induce healing of the vertebrae. Accordingly, an implant or prosthesis may be configured to facilitate fusion between two adjacent vertebrae. The implant or prosthesis may be placed without attachment means or fastened in position between adjacent structural body parts (e.g., adjacent vertebral bodies).
Typically, an implant or prosthesis is secured directly to a bone structure by mechanical or biological means. One manner of spine repair involves attaching a fusion implant or prosthesis to adjacent vertebral bodies using a fixation element, such as a screw. Most implants and their attachment means are configured to provide an immediate, rigid fixation of the implant to the implantation site. In certain situations, it is desirable to provide additional stabilization after a posterior fusion over one or more motion segments.
Although the following discussion focuses on spinal implants or prostheses, it will be appreciated that many of the principles may equally be applied to other structural body parts within a human or animal body.